Shrine Maiden
by Bouken-Kaze
Summary: He made a mistake, and he regrets it for the rest of his life. -KimiTayu, OroKimi, mpreg-
1. Mistake

Orochimaru had been very frustrated lately. First of all, the Sound team had failed the Chuunin exams. Secondly, Kabuto had decided he didn't like being on bottom, and he'd abandoned his role as Orochimaru's sex toy. He hissed under his breath as he stalked down the hallway, towards the room of the one subordinate he knew would let him take them willingly. He calmed down several minutes before reaching the room, and he knocked on the door, trying to put on a somewhat polite air.

The ninja glanced up immediately. "Come in..."

Orochimaru opened the door, his usual sleek smile plastered onto his face. "Hello, Kimimaro-kun..." He shut the door behind him, looking at the white-haired boy.

"Hello." Kimimaro greeted with a nod. "Is there something you need?"

Orochimaru smiled more evilly, and his eyes flashed with an air of confidence. "Yes, actually, Kimimaro-kun....do you know how Kabuto recently...retired, from his role?"

"I saw him storm out of your room wearing his robe... Yes I know..." Kimimaro nodded.

"I need somebody to take on that role. The rest of them are too young, and I'm not interested in Tayuya. You seem like the perfect age....are you interested...?"

Kimimaro blinked, thinking about the situation. "I do not think... It would benefit you in anyway..."

Orochimaru let out a somewhat angry breath. "I don't wish to force myself upon you, Kimimaro-kun. If the situation arises, I will have to. You'll enjoy being pleasured....I assure you."

"Master Orochimaru, please forgive me... But I really don't see why you cannot just find someone who would be more willing... I want to please you, but not in that way..."

"...." He remained silent, then sighed. "As you wish, Kimimaro. I told you I would use force if necessary." He used his paralysis jutsu rather quickly, then pushed Kimimaro onto his back, looking down at him with lust evident in his eyes.

Kimimaro blinked. His master had officially lost his marbles...

Orochimaru sunk his face into Kimimaro's hungrily, slipping his long, snake-like tongue into the teenager's mouth.

Kimimaro made a small noise when he felt Orochimaru's tongue almost go down his throat.

Orochimaru continued to rape his face, then sat up after a moment and removed the belt of his robe that was wrapped around his waist. He was fully revealed now, and his already erect member throbbed when the cool air hit it.

The teenager closed his eyes, believing that this would make the situation slightly better. He didn't want to see anymore of Orochimaru then he needed to.

Orochimaru gave him no time to prepare, and plunged in immediately, then bent down to kiss Kimimaro some more, panting slightly as he thrust in.

Kimimaro's breath quickened slightly, and even whimpered a little , but fought the tears back. He would not reward Orochimaru with everything he wished to see. Crying was out of the deal.

Orochimaru just continued to thrust in, enjoying this immensely. True to his word, it wasn't over for a while. It took almost two hours for the snake to be completely finished, and even then, he wasn't completely done. He thrust in a few more times, then pulled out roughly, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

Kimimaro started to feel his fingers, toes, and face when Orochimaru pulled out. The teenager's lips opened slightly and whispered. "Satisfied?"

Orochimaru didn't answer, giving Kimimaro a grunt as a reply. He put his robe back on, opened the door, and walked out, satisfied.

The teenager waited until he felt complete feeling in his body, but still did not wish to move, for his lower muscles were throbbing in pain. HE tried to be pacient, finally slipping from his bed and limping to get his robe. Every leg swing shocked him, every breath was mind fogging, and every thought destroyed. He tied the robe on and slipped boxers on as well. Then he felt his room and knocked on the door beside his. "Tayuya, it's me..." He said in a hushed tone. "Can I come in?"

The redhead shuffled to the door in a red night-robe, her equally colored hair frazzled from not being brushed after she got out of the shower. She blushed fiercely when she saw Kimimaro standing there; she covered herself up a bit more and looked at him. "...w-what do you want?!"

"May I come in?... I'd like your company..." He asked.

Tayuya bit her lip, then opened the door, holding it open for him. "Try anything, and I'll kick your ass straight out of here."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Kimimaro stated as he stepped in. "Even if I wanted to... I would not be able to." He sat himself upon one of the chairs. "All I need is a bit of company. Is that such a crime?"

Tayuya sat on her bed, closing her legs completely so her underwear wasn't revealed. "....nah, it's not a crime." She looked at him, then raised an eyebrow. "What, you think you have morals by not doing anything to me? Pssh. No one here has morals, Kimimaro."

"I know..." Kimimaro said, looking at the various instruments. "You have many flutes... Which is your favorite?"

Tayuya looked at the numerous shelves on the room, then smiled and looked at one placed in the middle of the room. Getting up and picking up the polished wooden flute, she carefully carried it over to him. "...probably this one."

Kimimaro picked it from her hands and examined it. "It is very nicely crafted... Where does it originate from?"

"...I believe...the Rain village. Kabuto had it one day and offered to give it to me. And he did." She smiled slightly, running her fingers over it.

"Very nice." Kimimaro comented. "Would you play a tune?"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow, then gave the slightest of smiles and brought her lips to the flute, starting to play a simple melody on it.

Kimimaro closed his eyes and listed to the melody with much appreciation. Something about the sound was heart-lifting and comforting. "You are very talented, Tayuya..."

After she finished the song, she smiled. "....thanks." She put the flute back on it's place on her shelf, then sat back down on the bed. The room remained in silence.

Kimimaro watched the girl with a little interest. That was more than he had before. "How long have you played?"

"Since I was little. Little-little, like three or four."

"Very impressive." The teenager commented. "Very impressive...."

"And how long have you been shooting bones out of your body, huh?"

Kimimaro chuckled. "Five."

Tayuya snorted slightly, then yawned; the yawn had a slight squeak at the end of it. She blushed and covered her face with her hand. "...I think it's time you should be going, Kimimaro."


	2. Innocence

**A/N: Takes place a few weeks after Chapter One.**

**----**

Kimimaro had kept himself inside his room for the day after throwing up his breakfast. He felt fine, but he had not wished to infect his teammates with whatver was wrong with him.

Kabuto knocked on the door of Kimimaro's room, test paper in hand. "Ah...Kimimaro-san...there is something I need to inform you of...urgently.."

"Come in." Kimimaro told Kabuto, sitting in his chair reading.

Kabuto walked in, looking rather flustered, but launched into his explanation. "Ah, Kimimaro-san, I've already informed Orochimaru-sama about this....he says you can keep it as long as he is not addressed as it's father." Explaining some more things, it culminated when he finished with, "..so, you're pregnant. And three months along, too."

The boy looked away, closing his eyes. "Fine. Thank you for informing me of this..." Kimimaro. He bowed his head. "Tell Orochimaru that I accept his decision..." He stood up and left his room and as he did a few months ago, knocked upon Tayuya's door.

Kabuto nodded and left the room. Tayuya opened the door again, tilting her head. "....aren't you supposed to be sick?"

"Not as sick as I believed I was." Kimimaro explained. "May I have some company?"

"Yeah, yeah, come in..." She held the door open for him, similar to that night from three months ago.

Kimimaro stepped in as he did a few months ago. "I see you have a new flute." he commented. "It is much larger than the rest, huh?"

"Yeah, this is from the Rain, too-" She stopped when Kimimaro turned at a certain angle, and she could see a slight bump. She took in an inhale and looked at it. "....you have a tumor or something?"

"Hm?" Kimimaro glanced down and shook his head. "Not exactly..." He told her. "Far from a tumor actually... And if I told you, you might not even believe me."

"Try me." She snorted and leaned back on the bed. "I'll believe you if you're sick."

"I am not sick...I'm pregnant...."

Tayuya pursed her lips and looked him up and down. Huh. What with all of the fuckups in this place, it didn't surprise her. "..who's kid?"

"..." He was silent for a while, remembering that very night when he was forced into sex. "... Orochimaru-Sama..."

"....you didn't want it, did you? I can tell by your face you didn't."

"... It was something I preferred not to get involved in." Kimimaro nodded. "But like a child, Orochimaru got what he wanted." The boy sighed. "Now I don't know what I should do with it... I only found out today, and that had happened three months ago... so abortion is out of the question..."

"....well, does Oro-teme care what you do with it? I wouldn't think so...he doesn't give a shit WHAT we do as long as we respect him, right? Plus, killing your own baby is kinda mean. It is part you, right?"

"I guess... but what am I going to so with a toddler?..." Kimimaro questioned.

"Hey...I'll help you. You don't have to worry about being alone."

"Well, I do like you more than the other Sound ninja..." He pondered this a little, watching her. "I feel like I am intruding already... are you sure?" The teenager asked.

"Nope. I don't have a problem with this..babies might be annoying, but your baby won't be."

Kimimaro chuckled. "Oh yeah? What makes you so sure? Babies are babies, right?"

Tayuya snorted. "Well, babies might be babies...but they also take after their parents. Hopefully that one - it's a girl, by the way, because I can sense her chakra pattern - takes after her mother more, then."

"And if it doesn't?"

"...then she'll be a little brat, that's all. But you'll teach her better than that, right?"

Kimimaro looked at his hands in thought. "I-I'm not sure... I believe I am not parent material... I could attempt, but my efforts might be wasted..."

"Hey, you can say you tried. Better than what most of us here can say."

Kimimaro shifted slightly with a shrug. "I might just kill it... I have no business with a child, at least not at my age." He looked down, shaking his head. "Especially under Orochimaru. Always sending us on important missions... Either way, the child would probably get killed in its womb..." He was certain in the end, somehow the child would not survive or he would never be able to care for it, even if he was ready to.

"Kabuto can convince him otherwise. He probably already has, or else Kabuto would have given you some drug to make you forcibly abort it. Either that, or attacked you, so you miscarried."

The teenager sighed. "I guess no matter how I look at it... I'll just try to poke a hole through it to find a reason for it to die..." He pressed his fingers to his eyelids and rubbed them. "Fine... I'll try to keep it.. Then see what happens..."

Tayuya was still sitting in her place on her bed, then looked up at him. "....well, that's good....you're not killing something innocent." She remained quiet for a moment, then smirked. "Or as innocent it can be with you as a parent, right?"

Kimimaro chuckled. "I suppose..." His eyes looked up to her's finally and with his emotionless glance he said quietly, "Thank you..."

She smiled. "No problem." She looked away for a moment, and the room remained in awkward silence.


	3. Storm

**A/N: He's about six months here.**

**----**

Tayuya blinked her eyes open in the darkness of the night, rubbing her eyes with a hand as she heard an odd sound...it was rather like a whimper. A boom of thunder sounded from outside, and she could tell from the pounding rain it was pouring down above ground. She sighed and pushed herself up. SHE wasn't the one whimpering...and nobody else was in her room.

The boy was sitting on his chair, rubbing his stomach. That child would be the death of him it it didn't allow him more sleep. He tried surrounding himself in a bolder of thick bone, though it was rather uncomfortable for both of them.

Tayuya heard another whimper yet again, and knocked on Kimimaro's door, eyes heavy with sleep. ".....'ey, is that you...."

Kimimaro dropped one of his walls. "... yeah..."

"...what are you whimpering for, it's loud..." Another crash of thunder radiated the building they were in, causing the baby inside of Kimimaro to kick him sharply in the bladder.

The shinobi hugged his lower stomach and made some more noise before speaking. "S-Sorry... I-It's just... never mind, I'll be quieter." He promised weakly.

Tayuya opened his door and shuffled in to look at the white-haired teen. She noticed him holding his stomach, and tilted her head.

Kimimaro closed his eyes tight when he heard another crack of thunder. He held in his whimper this time as he felt the impact on his bladder. "I'm f-fine..."

"Liar." She sat on the floor next to him, looking up at him. "You're scared, aren't you..."

He shook his head, though his fingers vibrated when there was another crack. He was both freaked and in horrible pain. "J-just go back..." He told her. "I'm not afraid of anything..."

"...." She looked up at him with brown eyes that were lightly tinted with concern. "...you're lying to me." She got up and looked at him. "....your room's bigger than mine. The sound echoes more. You can go sleep in my room, if you want."

The white haired boy considered this, and quickly nodded. He stood up and stayed closer it her than he realize he was. He also cringed a little.

Tayuya leaned on him slightly, then straightened up and went back into her room, getting into the bed and scooting over to the far side to make room for him. She was just falling asleep when the loudest crack of thunder that night boomed, and lightning made her room flash white.

This made the boy shoot up and clutch his stomach tight. His back bone shot out of his skin and covered his body again, making his roll off the bed and onto the floor.

Tayuya shot up as soon as she saw the flash of bone, and she stared as Kimimaro rolled off. She went to the edge of the bed, but didn't dare touch him; ironically enough, the thunder tapered off, and with one last rumble, the rain became much, much softer.

The bone went back into his body, one rib and vertebrae at a time until he was laying on the ground, shaking. The white of his eyes were red and his skin was bumpy.

Tayuya looked down at him with a slight, pitiful smile. The baby inside of Kimimaro squirmed from the sudden disturbance, and made his skin raise and jump; Tayuya glanced at his stomach curiously.

Kimimaro's eyes became weary and rubbed his stomach before standing up. He looked at Tayuya and a wave of humiliation splashed over him, though he stayed unemotional. "Sorry I disturbed you..." He whispered.

Tayuya shook her head, still looking at him. "...so you weren't scared...but the baby was..." She looked at his stomach, which was moving all sorts of ways from having a very frightened baby inside of it.

Kimimaro made a short nod.

Tayuya looked at his stomach with interest; yet again, the room was silent, except for the slight pitter-patter of the rain.

Finally Kimimaro made his way to the door. He apologized again before stepping out. The boy entered his room and crumbled to the floor, wincing. "S-stop..." He growled. "I-I'll kill it right now..."

Tayuya wasn't stupid. She could hear him talking, but remained silent, instead getting up and standing in his now open doorway. "...Kimimaro, she's scared..."

He held his ribs in place to pierce the child. "So?... Your point?"

Tayuya frowned. "She's a baby. You can't blame her for not knowing what's going on! I know babies at six months can hear; you really want the first words she hears from you are 'I'll kill you right now"?!"

"She wouldn't understand my words..."

"Maybe not, but babies take on their mother's emotions. She knows you're angry right now, and she's probably scared because of that!"

Kimimaro glared at his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to stab the child with his many bones. He could do it so easily, so quickly, it'd nothing but painless. "Why do you care so much for Orochimaru's child?"

"......I don't wanna see some innocent life dying.....and..." She sunk down against the wall, hugging her knees. "....I don't wanna see you do it....because I was gonna help you raise her, remember...?" One of the ribs pressing into Kimimaro's womb was found by the baby's exploring hand, and she grabbed onto it with one of her tiny fists.

The white haired teenager bit his lip, feeling his child's hand wrapped around one of his bones. He huffed and his bones went back to their proper place. "Fine." He growled quietly, fists balled. "You happy now? That brat shall live..."

Tayuya looked at him with downcast eyes. "...just don't murder her, Kimimaro..." She scooted closer to him, leaning on him and burying her face in his shoulder. "...please..."

"... You are clueless... You don't know what it is like to be a pregnant male..." He murmured. "Foolish." He watched her and after a few seconds patted her head. "Foolish enough to attempt to stop me..." His lips made a small curl. "Interesting..."

Tayuya didn't flinch when he called her foolish. She looked up at him. "...is interesting a good thing or a bad thing..." Her voice was flat and emotionless, as it never was; the sound of the rain almost drowned it out.

Kimimaro took ahold of her chin. "I like it..." He whispered, closing in his face to hers.

Tayuya blinked and looked at him, then took incentive and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes.

He closed his as well, reaching for her side with his other hand. He departed with a smile upon his face. He did not know what to say.

Tayuya blinked and covered her face with her hand. She was blushing profusely, and didn't meet his gaze. The baby kicked curiously at the newfound rush of emotions her 'mother' was feeling.

He swallowed nervously as he placed his hands on her's and unsheilded her eyes. "... I-I really like you, Tayuya..."

Tayuya was as red as her hair, and still didn't meet his gaze. "....I like you, too...." She bit her lip and just focused her gaze on his stomach.

Kimimaro chuckled softly. "You know... No one else has ever made me smile..."

"....really?" She smiled slightly and turned her head to look up at him. "..that's nice.."

He pressed his lips to her's again, softer this time. "And if keeping this child means so much to you... then I'll just deal with it...."

Tayuya leaned into it, closing her eyes yet again.


	4. Tragedy

**A/N: He's about seven months here. Takes place a month after Chapter 3.**

**------**

The pregnant boy made his way into Orochimaru's study. The man was out on this hour so he'd never know. He took out a book on curse seals and started reading it on his Master's favorite chair.

Tayuya was wandering in the hallways, playing her flute; a simple tune emanated throughout the lair. Orochimaru was due to be gone for three days; Kabuto was in charge, but he liked Tayuya, so it was alright for her.

The teenager's head raised when he heard the sound of her flute. He placed the book down and exited the study, and swiftly followed the tune until he found her. He merley followed, not wanting to disturb her.

Tayuya leaned on the wall, eyes closed as she played. She finished within a few minutes, and sighed, bringing her arms down.

He placed a hand upon her shoulder. "That was very pretty..."

Tayuya jumped a bit and looked at him. "...oh, it's you...you scared me...and thanks."

He chuckled, running a hand through her red hair. "The child likes it too..."

"...she likes it? How do you know?" She smirked and looked at him.

"Because it puts her to sleep." He chuckled, patting his stomach.

Tayuya smiled. "Don't think she's entirely asleep yet. Your stomach's still moving." She smirked some more and looked at him.

"Oh... well I thought she was..." Kimimaro chuckled. "Well it just seems to sooth her..."

"I wouldn't mind playing it for her...in a more private setting, of course."

"Do you want to go to the study?"

"...no. Kabuto's in there all the time, and the air in that place is just negative."

"Alright... where would you like to go?"

"...maybe your room?" She linked arms with him, smiling slightly.

"Sure." Kimimaro nodded, sounds good." He quickly led her into his room ad shut the door quickly. Then he sat on one end of his bed, patting beside him.

Tayuya sat beside him, then looked at him. "Lay back some and pull your shirt up."

Kimimaro did as she said. After the many months, he trusted her. He laid down and unveiled his long shirt, revealing the rounded skin.

Tayuya leaned down next to him, placing a hand on his stomach and rubbing slightly.

Her touch was so soft. His lips curled as the child pressed towards her fingers.

Tayuya blinked and felt a foot press on her fingers. "Hey, little one..."

"I think she really does like you..."

"...you think?" She pressed down slightly.

It punched her again and Kimimaro nodded. "Yeah, I do..."

Tayuya bent down and started playing her flute, making the melody heard to the child.

The child stopped fussing almost immediately. She moved a little and then fell still after the middle of the melody.

Tayuya smiled and continued to play her flute, smiling slightly.

The teenager reached to feel her cherry red hair and ran his fingers though it.

Tayuya froze up and felt her scalp tingle and squirmed a bit.

The boy chuckled as she did this. "I think she's sleeping." He whispered.

"...I think so, too..." She smiled, then leaned into him petting her scalp.

He continued to pet it. "So... how have your missions been?"

"Good...good...God, that feels good, Kimi..."

He chuckled. "Oh yeah?... How about Sakon, Kidomarou and Jirobo? What are they up to?

"...Sakon tried to rape me the other day. Kidomarou tries to do it every day."

Kimimaro's expression became emotionless. "I shall slay them after three months..."

Tayuya blinked. "...no, please don't.."

"Why not?"

Tayuya just leaned into Kimimaro's hand some, smiling. Her scalp was very sensitive, and it felt good when he was petting her.

"Hm..." He pushed himself up and pressed his lips to her soft cheeks.

Tayuya smiled and blushed a bit. ".....do you enjoy being pregnant, Kimimaro? Do you think it's worth it?"

"... I got to know you... I am able to see how much of a beautiful person you are... sit got me to where I am right now. It's a pain to deal with the weight and pestering, but again... It got me here."

"Aw...but the baby loves you, you know that?" Tayuya sat up some and looked at the bulge of his stomach. "...I don't know if you love her, but.."

Kimimaro's eyes closed. Love. "It's been so long since I loved anything... I almost for got what it was... But thanks to you I remember what it is." He opened them slowly. "And... I may have grown a little fond of her..."

"A little? Define a little." She had a somewhat wry smirk on her face, and she looked at him.

"I mean I won't kill it..." Kimimaro stated flatly. "And I might consider caring for it..." His response was cold. hating to admit his thoughts about the unborn child.

The baby gave a kick near the top of his stomach. Tayuya smiled. "I stopped you from killing her the first time." She looked down at him, and then poked his stomach with a finger.

"Well, I decided that I just won't kill it in or out of its womb..."

Tayuya poked him again, trying to get the baby to kick. When there was no response, she placed her hand on his stomach and pressed down with the heel of her hand.

Kimimaro bit his lip. "What are you attempting?"

"Trying to get her to kick my hand. Unless you have any other methods?"

"I try to make her kick as less as possible... I have no clue..."

"....maybe if you talk to her. I know you don't do that, so don't try to lie."

Kimimaro closed his eyes. This had to be so illogical. He leaned a little. "Hello..."

Tayuya blinked and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say more.

Kimimaro bit his lip before continuing. "... I don't feel like taking to something I can't see..." He leaned back with his dull expression.

"...aw, come on. It's a nice way of bonding." She rubbed his stomach. "C'mon little one, convince Daddy to talk to you."

He stood up and starred at Tayuya. His eyes narrowed slightly. "... leave..."

Tayuya blinked, then held her hands up. "...sorry, sorry..." She stood up and backed toward the door.

He watched her leave. His eyes grew more fierce as she left. He punched one of the rock walls when she did. "I hate this stupid child..." he growled.


	5. Thumping

**A/N: This takes place a month later. So he's eight months.**

**-----**

A month later, and Tayuya had done everything in her power to shun Kimimaro from her emotional circle. She really didn't know why; maybe it was just female behavior. But she'd willingly kissed Sakon in front of him on numerous occasions; she'd let Sakon in on what she was doing, not wanting him to think anything serious was being led from this.

On the other hand, Kimimaro became more and more inflamed within an emotional circle. He'd spend hours in his room drilling into the walls with his fists and bones, hoping he might accidentally murder the child within his womb. He wanted no part of its life or anyone's life after his last meeting with Tayuya. It was pointless to be jealous of Sakon, it was troublesome to be mad at Tayuya, it was downright foolish to love a child out of force.

"...asshole..." Tayuya whimpered, sitting on her bed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Fucking Sakon, fucking asshole..." She was clad in a t-shirt, and nothing else, and sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, however painful it was.

Kimimaro stopped, hearing her cries. He sat on the floor, debating if he should help her... She did let him into her world when he was hurt. He sighed, exiting his room quietly, and knocked on her door. "Tayuya..."

"...what?" She snapped somewhat hastily, her voice littered with hurt.

"... I heard you crying... may I help you?"

"If you fucking want to-" She let out a small sob, burying her face in her hands.

The teenager stepped into the room slowly and made his way to her bed and sat beside her. He placed a hand upon her shoulder and rubbed it. He'd let her talk first.

"....he's an ass..! God, he...he took it! And now I can't get it back....!" She clung to Kimimaro, sobbing into his chest.

"What did he take?..."

"What Orochimaru took from you!" She just continued to sob.

Kimimaro's eyes widened slightly, wrapping his arms around her, pressing his lips to her head. "Shhh..." He patted her back comfortingly. He wanted to tell her it was her own fault, but he felt it was best not to go there.

Tayuya took his shirt in her hands and scrunched up the cloth, crying silently. It took her a few moments, but eventually she sat up and wiped her eyes again, not meeting his gaze.

"I am sorry this happened to you." He whispered. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

".....stay here..." She whimpered, burying her face in his chest.

And he did just that, rubbing her back and pressing soft kisses to her head, whispering small comforting words in her ear.

Tayuya laid her head against his chest, taking comfort in the steady, loud thump of his heartbeat in her ears.

"... maybe if you played with her, you'd feel better." Kimimaro offered, referring to the child in his stomach.

"....thought it was an invasion of your personal privacy," she quoted bitterly, remembering a few weeks ago when he'd called her touching his stomach that.

"I never said that... I was angry because of something else... I never cared that you touching my stomach..."

"...angry about something else." She said dryly, still avoiding his gaze.

"I felt pushed."

"...pushed."

"Yes... I felt you were pushing he to love something that I only recently grown a tad attached to. You kept pushing and pushing the subject and it made me feel irritated. How would you feel if I kept trying to make you become friends with Sakon?"

"...too late to do anything with Sakon now..." she mumbled sadly, realizing the error of her ways. "...I get your point.."

"I am glad you get it." he whispered. "I am sorry if I shooed you off without a proper explanation... this might have not happened..." He whispered, holding the girl tighter.

Tayuya bit her lip, but didn't hold any negative feelings towards the white-haired teen. "...sorry.." She whispered softly, finally bringing her bloodshot eyes up to him.

"Don't be..." He whispered, closing his eyes to press his lips to hers. He departed his lips. "I'm sorry..."

"....why are you sorry? You didn't do anything.."

"... I just said... If I had been more clear about what I was angry about, you might have never gotten raped... I am sorry..."

"...not your fault." She just buried her face in his shirt, then wrapped her arms around him. "....can I still play with her..."

"Of course..." He replied.

Tayuya leaned down and rested her head on his stomach, just staying there and not moving.

Kimimaro felt the child make a small kick at her ear, after realizing it was actually there it kicked almost furiously, making the skin jump. Kimimaro watched the movement in his stomach for a few second and closed his eyes softly. A tear left his eye.

Tayuya just laid her head there; in the silence in the room, a soft, tiny thumping beat was heard. "....is that your heartbeat, little one...?" She asked no-one in particular, giving a sad smile.

Kimimaro picked up one free hand and for the first time, placed it on his stomach and rubbed it.

Tayuya widened her eyes slightly when she saw this, but paid no other attention to it, continuing to talk to the baby. "....you're gonna be cute....the cutest baby ever, huh...."

The teenager bit his lip, pressing his fingers into his stomach and feeling a part of it's body that he believed to be its arm.

Tayuya looked at his fingers and mentally questioned what he was doing, but said nothing.

"Yes... You will be very cute.." He whispered, leaning to his stomach like he did a month ago. "I know you will be..."

Tayuya let out the slightest of smiles, then looked up at him. "....what's with the sudden change in attitude...?"

He blinked. " I am... experimenting..." He stated with his dull voice.

"...experimenting." She nodded and placed her head back on his stomach. "...so am I, then."

He chuckled a little before going back to watching his stomach. "I-I'm sorry I ignored you... I'm sorry I hated you..." He whispered softer. "I hope someday I can make up for it..."

Tayuya heard a soft swishing noise as the baby moved around, and she smiled slightly, stroking his stomach with two of his fingers.

He leaned back again, almost relieved that the baby was moving more. He watched Tayuya. "I hope someday... I'll be more like you..."

"....like me...?" Tayuya asked quietly, looking up at him. "...why?"

"... because... I feel like a horrible person... The way you can embrace her with loving arms... And I am taking so long..."

".....you have your own reasons." She said quietly. "And I can only hope you'll come to love her, too..." She traced a finger down the side of his swollen stomach, then moved it to the center. She stopped when her finger passed a lump in the center of his stomach, and she laughed slightly. "Your bellybutton's popped out."

"Yeah..." He chuckled with a short nod.

She smiled and pressed on it with a finger. "That's..that's kinda funny."

"Yeah... it was a little awkward when I first saw it..."

"..awkward? How so?"

"How would you feel if your bellybutton suddenly popped out?"

"...confused." She giggled slightly, then blushed. Had she just...giggled? She'd NEVER laughed so much like a girl before.

Kimimaro noticed this and chuckled softly. "I didn't know you had it in you..."

"...what, laughing like a girl? I don't normally laugh like that."

"I know..." He chuckled. "I just never heard you giggle before..."

"....mm." She blushed and looked away, taking her head off of his stomach and scooting to the other end of the bed, embarrassed.

"Why so flustered?"

She didn't answer him, and just pouted on a corner of the bed.

He scooted next to her and pecked her cheek. "I liked it..."

"...." She looked out of the corner of her eyes at him, still blushing.

He pecked her again. "Cutie..."

"...what did you just say?" She turned her head, face as red as her hair.

"..." His own cheeks turned a light color of pink.

There was awkward silence between the two for a few moments.

"So..." He took a deep breath. "Forgive me?"

"...yeah. I forgive you." She turned around to face him, smiling slightly.

"Thanks." He pressed his lips to hers softly.

Tayuya smiled and leaned into it, and after breaking away, looked at him. "...so, to pass the time...wanna talk? About anything. I'm open to listen."

"Umm..." He pondered. "Nothing that I can think of... do you?"

"....well....anything bothering you? You know, being pregnant and all, there's bound to be some things."

"... right now... just the constant hunger." He chuckled.

"You're hungry all the time?" She raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't look it to me. I can see your ribs." She poked his chest, which caused a bone to be felt under her finger. "We need to fill you up more."

Kimimaro chuckled. "I guess... I'm afraid of overeating..."

"Ah, you won't get fat. You only weigh in the one-twenties anyway, Kabuto said." She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "But we can fix the constant hunger, though."


	6. Hiccups

Kimimaro laid on his bed, feeling sick to his stomach. "I think you just shoved a month's worth of food down my throat..."

"Note how you ate it." She lazily traced a finger alongside his stomach.

"I don't know...too full to remember..."

Tayuya smiled and nuzzled his jawline, almost euphorically happy.

Kimimaro chuckled."Love you..."

Tayuya blinked and looked at him. "...you love me?"

"Yeah...." He mumbled, nuzzling into her head.

Tayuya blushed and turned beet-red. "....seriously....?"

"Yes..."

"Prove it."

He closed his eyes. "I don't know how..." he mumbled, afraid to go farther than kiss her since the Sakon incident.

Tayuya blinked and looked down at him, then buried her face in his hair.

He looked at her softly, petting her hair and trailing his fingers down her slender back.

Tayuya smiled and kissed his cheek. "...love you too."

His lips curled, kissing her back.

Tayuya wrapped her arms around his neck, and she sighed contentedly.

"So... would you like to name the baby?"

"You're offering that to me?"

"Yes..."

"...I didn't think I was important enough for that kind of honor."

"More important than me." Kimimaro chuckled.

"That's not true." She said the words softly, then placed a hand on his stretched stomach. "...you really want me to name her?"

"Yes."

"Miko." The name was said flat-out. "Miko Ryuka. Always liked the name for a girl."

"Alright then." Kimimaro nodded. "Miko it is..."

A sudden knock on the door made Tayuya jump; the door opened and Kabuto stuck his head in. "...I'm sorry if I interrupted anything...but Kimimaro-kun needs to have a small check-up now.."

Kimimaro stood up and gave Tayuya one last glance before going to Kabuto.

Tayuya waved slightly as he left the room. Once Kabuto took him into the examination room, he handed him a small hospital robe. "Change into that, please."

The teenager nodded, going into a small room to change, and then walking back out.

After he laid down on the table, Kabuto looked him over, and then lit his hands up with a slight amount of chakra. "I'm just going to perform a small stress test here....I'm going to hit your baby with a small bolt of chakra to see if it reacts accordingly. It won't hurt it, don't worry." He pressed his hands on Kimimaro's belly, then let a small bolt flow into his womb and hit the unborn child. Taking his hands off, he looked at him. "Did it move?"

Kimimaro nodded. "Kicked my bladder."

"Good, good....a bit concerning that it's not head-down yet, but that should change in the next few weeks." He placed his hands yet again on Kimimaro's stomach and pressed down, feeling for various parts of the baby. "...I can certainly feel the head...and there's an arm...and another arm." He smiled slightly. "It's growing normally as far as I can tell."

Kimimaro nodded. "That's good..."

"...as you know, you already performed the Transformation Jutsu a few weeks ago...and...hmm." He blinked. "Your due date's about...two days after Christmas day. I just realized that." He shrugged it off. "Should be a nice gift for you, huh?"

The teenager nodded. "Yeah... It should..."

Kabuto continued with his examination. "No sign of dilation...that's good, of course...no risk of premature labor."

Kimimaro nodded again. "May I ask a random question?"

"Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Would you ever want to be pregnant?"

"....I don't think so, Kimimaro-kun. I'm content with my place in life."

The teenager nodded. "Alright..."

Kabuto pressed down on the bottom of his stomach. "There are the feet...how often does it move, would you say, and to what extent?"

"... it fusses about once a day, otherwise it just swims around...

"Fusses? Why, are you not eating enough?"

"... I guess so.... But i think today I had enough..."

"Alright, then. You know your own limits." He turned around to the small machine he'd stolen - ahem, borrowed - from a clinic in a nearby village. "This machine's rather new...do you want to see your baby, Kimimaro? The ultrasound wasn't here last time."

"Sure..."

Kabuto gently opened the gown up and put the paddle on his now-gel covered stomach; he turned the machine on and rubbed the paddle around.

Kimimaro was hesitant to look at the screen. He watched the child's outline with a newfound interest.

The baby looked rather content, and she shifted every now and then. Kabuto moved it some more so Kimimaro could see the bright white pulse of his child's heartbeat.

The boy's eyes became wary as he watched the thumps of his child's heart. Outside he was commentless, but inside... That's where the change was evolving.

A sudden jolt on the ultrasound machine made Kabuto raise an eyebrow; at the same time the jolt had occurred, Kimimaro's belly rose up at the same time. A few seconds later, it happened again. Kabuto chuckled slightly. "Well, she has the hiccups."

Kimimaro's lips curled a little. "cute..."

Kabuto snorted a bit. "It shows that she's started to practice breathing...they can inhale the amniotic fluid, and exhale it too."

"Hmm..." Kimimaro watched the screen. "Smart..."

"Yes, isn't it?"

"It has a gender." Kimimaro commented dryly to the word 'it'.

"Oh, you want to know the gender? I know it's a she, of course.."

"No, I mean...she is not an it." Kimimaro stated coldly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kimimaro-kun....she, of course." He sweatdropped somewhat, then moved the paddle around some more.

The white haired boy glanced back up to the screen and watched the child some more. "Can I get pictures?"

"..I think this machine can print out..." When he confirmed it did, he looked at Kimimaro. "Any particular shots you'd like?"

"Side, I suppose..."

He nodded and printed out five pictures. The baby's hiccups had only gotten harder and more frequent.

Kimimaro's lips widened a little more. "Thank you..."

Kabuto handed him the pictures, then wiped his stomach off and turned the machine off. "You can get changed now."

Kimimaro nodded, changed, and exited the infirmary as quickly as he could. He knocked on Tayuya's door.

Tayuya knew who it was and opened it. "Hey..."

"Hey..." He handed her the photographs. "I have pictures for you..."

Tayuya looked down at them and tilted her head. "What are they..?"

"They're of Miko..."

"...oh...!" She smiled and ushered Kimimaro in, then shut the door and looked at them.

"Kabuto says she's growing nicley..."

"That's good..." She traced the outline of the baby's head with her finger.

He put a hand on his stomach with a slightly bigger smile. He had finally decided that he did care for the child and he would certainly care for it.

Tayuya flipped through them, smiling more as she looked at each one. "....even in black-and-white, she's cute."

Kimimaro nodded again, watching his love look through the pictures. "I thought you might like that..."

".....I do, I do.." She said honestly. Her eye was caught by the sudden jump of Kimimaro's stomach, and she blinked.

"Hiccups," he explained.

"...she has hiccups?"

"Yeah, Kabuto says that she's practicing her breathing."

"Oh, well, that's cool." She smiled and sat on the bed, patting next to her, indicating she wanted Kimimaro to sit next to her.

Kimimaro did as she insisted. "I think... after what I've seen today... I'm going to really give this a chance..."

"Give loving the baby a chance?" She smirked, then looked at him. "..do you want something that'll feel really, really good?"

"Hm...what?"

She warmed her hands up with chakra and placed them on his back, starting to rub gently but thoroughly, making his strained back muscles relax.

Kimimaro took deep breaths as she did this. "Th-that does feel really good..." he commented softly.

"...if you lay on your side it'll feel better."

Kimimaro did as she suggested, and she was right. He hunched his shoulders and moved his back into the feeling.

Tayuya smiled even more when her fingers pressed into the small of his back, where most of the tension was.

He made a little sound when she touched the pinpoint areas of stress. "T-thank you..."

"No problem..." She continued to hit the spots of tension, smiling when she visibly felt his back grow softer and less tense.

The soothing of her fingers made his eyelids heavily and he soon fell asleep.

Tayuya didn't stop rubbing his back; she wanted to make him as comfortable as possible right now.


	7. Silly Girl

A week later, and Kimimaro was now thirty-four weeks pregnant. It was nearing the end of his last week of his eighth month, and combined with the fact that he practically lived in Tayuya's room now made her a very happy girl indeed. She still felt awkward about doing more than kissing with him - Sakon had taken trust from her - but she was gaining it back. She knew Kimimaro would never do something like that to her.

The teenager would now wait impatiently for the child go go out not because of irritation, but just to see what it looked like and to actually hold it.

Tayuya was currently sitting on her bed, Kimimaro's head in her lap. She stroked his head, letting her fingers linger on his forehead.

"You have pretty eyes," he commented.

"...thanks..." She commented lightly, moving her other hand to stroke his stomach.

"So... anything interesting happen today?"

"...nah-" she cut herself off. "Oh, wait! Hold on!" She got up and dug around in her closet for a minutes. "Close your eyes."

"Alright." He closed them, not knowing what to expect.

Tayuya took one thing out, then another. The first item she hid behind her dresser so it wasn't visible; she held the second item behind her back. "Alright...open them."

He opened them. "What's behind your back?"

"...got this from somebody that was traveling near here. Told her a friend was pregnant. I washed it, of course..." She held out a small pink set of baby clothes.

His lips curled. "They're adorable," He commented.

"You want 'em? I mean, I got them for Miko..."

"U-um, sure." He nodded. "Thank you..."

She put them on top of his belly and blushed some. "...no problem..."

He examined them. Apparently his stomach was now a table. He took the clothed and set then beside him. "I really appreciate it..."

She stood up and said, "I, ah...got something else. I forced Jirobo into buying it 'cause I didn't have any money...but then he said I was the one pregnant." She sighed and pulled a small bassinet out. "Also cleaned."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. "You-you didn't have to..."

"But I did. 'cause I kinda like the kid." Her eyes glittered with humor.

"Well I'm glad...'cause I have a present for you." Kimimaro started. "How would you...like the title of its mother?..."

"..." She froze for a moment, then looked at him. "..w-what..?"

"Would you like the title of her mother," Kimimaro repeated. "She needs a mother figure..."

"...I can't believe you're offering...but yes. You don't fit the title of 'mommy' very well."

Kimimaro chuckled. "Good..."

The baby kicked upwards with her foot, catching Kimimaro in one of his rock-hard ribs. Almost immediately, she withdrew her foot in slight pain.

The teenager cradled the under part of his stomach with a small frown. "Miko..."

Tayuya blinked. "What did she do NOW...?"

"Kicked a rib." He chuckled. "Silly girl..."

"Ouch. Must've hurt her more than you."

"Well, yeah. I barely felt it." He replied.

"That's because your ribs are rock hard. Hope her foot's not broken."

"She couldn't have kicked that hard."

"Well, if she comes out with a deformed foot, now we'll know." Miko, being a not-so-smart baby, again kicked a rib.

Kimimaro tapped the child. "Stop that."

She again experimentally kicked a rib.

Kimimaro made a small grunting noise. "Stop." He poked her two times.

Two more times she kicked his rib, before moving onto the new activity of pressing her feet out so the outlines of them were visible on the top of Kimimaro's belly.

"What is wrong with you?" Kimimaro shook his head.

Tayuya blinked. "What's she doing?"

"Well, she just stopped kicking my rib."

"And what's she doing now? Anything?"

"Pressing her foot against my stomach..."

Tayuya stared when she saw the outlines. "That's creepy." She poked the foot, which just poked up in retaliation.

"Think something's wrong?"

"Nah. She's just being a brat."

Kimimaro chuckled.

Miko moved her foot around some, making Kimimaro's skin jump a bit.

"Silly girl..." He commented, petting her foot

Miko pressed into his finger a bit.

He chuckled, tickling his stomach with his finger. "Love you..."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow when he said the two words, and looked over his shoulder. "I love you too, Miko.."

Kimimaro pecked her cheek. "I love you too."

"Love you, of course." She smiled and nuzzled his jawline, then looked at him. "...can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna take a shower together?" She put the question out there, blushing slightly. "...sex isn't exactly appropriate at the moment."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. "Horny, are we?" he teased.

"Please. I don't even know what that word means anymore." She rolled her eyes. "..seriously, though."

"I guess..." He mumbled.

She looked at him with a somewhat humiliated look. "It won't feel right unless you totally agree."

"I do." He nodded slowly.

Tayuya smiled. "...I'll go first. Give you a bit of a surprise. I'm not exactly this boyish underneath." She got off of the bed and wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door. "Come in in about five minutes."

Kimimaro nodded, waiting patiently. After the five minutes he slowly walked into the bathroom.

Tayuya had already turned the shower on, and the warm water made steam come into the room. She stood naked in front of the water, revealing nicely sized c-cup breasts and somewhat shapely hips.

Kimimaro's mouth opened slightly at her beauty. He figured it was his tern now. He hesitantly took off his shirt and then pulled down his pants and boxers. He bit his lip nervously, self-aware for the first time. A big stomached man wasn't exactly attractive.

Tayuya came up to him, placing her arms over his shoulders and leaning on him so her breasts pressed against his chest.

He bit his lip harder. "You are very pretty." He whispered.

"I know..." She leaned forward to kiss him, and she took control for a minute, carefully slipping her tongue into his mouth.

He leaned his face into hers, his tongue playing with hers, then he drew back taking a few steps away. "I-I'm sorry..." He apologized, looking away, nervously cringing slightly, arms crossed. "I... I just can't..." He whispered, reaching down for his boxers, one arm still making a pathetic attempt to cover his figure. "It's me... I just- I-If I wasn't... pregnant..."

Tayuya grabbed his arm. "....haven't you learned I don't care about that already...honestly, Kimimaro...you need to learn to take a good thing when you see it."

"... It just doesn't... I'm sorry." He apologized again, slipping on his boxers. "I thought I was going to be okay but..." He shook his head. "Sorry."

Tayuya sighed. "....Kimimaro..." She looked at the shower behind her and slowly went to turn it off.

He put on his pants and long shirt and he appologized again before walking out of the bathroom door and through the next door into the hallway. He entered his own room and smashed his head against the wall. He hated himself.

Tayuya sighed and got dressed. At least he'd seen her naked; she gave him that. Walking into the hallway, she looked at him. "...I don't take any offense to that."

"..." He'd never forgive himself from denying her that, even if she didn't care about how he looked.

Tayuya reached up to kiss his cheek. "...love you. Always will."

He didn't look at her. He didn't wish to see the disappointment that her expression might possess.

Tayuya only looked slightly dejected; but she soon moved her kisses to his neck.

He pulled away. "I-I wish to be alone..." He whispered. "I'm sorry." He apologized once more, entering his room and closing the door. There he knocked his head harder against the stone until he left a dome in it of his cranium. he slipped against the wall and hung his head.

Tayuya sighed and nodded; she then realized several people were staring at her in the halls, and she realized how lucky she was to be clothed. She quietly slipped into her room.

After a short nap the teenager looked around his room in a daze. He pulled his body from the ground and walked into the hall and knocked on Tayuya's door. "Hey..."

Tayuya poked her head up from her pillow. "...what?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." She went and opened the door, looking at him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled like he had done before. "I just... I was didn't feel good about myself and I didn't want that to be the way you first saw me..." He didn't look at her eyes. "I-I wish you could have seen me from what I normally look like... Sorry..."

he gave him a soft smile. "No...it's alright. I understand you don't feel very good about yourself right now...it's very understandable." She poked his stomach playfully.

He chuckled. "Thanks..." He leaned down to peck her cheek. "I hope I didn't offend you..."

"Nah. You didn't." She placed a hand on his stomach, looking up at him. "Not at all."

"Good." His lips curled, his hands holding her arms. "I love you..."

"Love you too." She leaned on his chest; or, as best she could with Miko in the way.

He chuckled, attempting to wrap his hands around her. "I can't wait to get closer to you..."

"Neither can I..." She smiled slightly when he eventually made his arms go around her; however, after doing so, she found herself pressed against his stomach.

He released her. "Sorry..." He apologized again.

Tayuya blinked, then blushed a bit. "It's okay.."

"Soon holding each other won't be so awkward." He chuckled.

"You'll be holding her a lot more than you will me. Babies need a lot of attention."

Kimimaro chuckled. "Not when they're sleeping..."

"...point taken." She smiled and leaned on her tiptoes to kiss him. Miko chose to wake up at that moment, and managed to shift around somewhat.

Kimimaro chuckled, petting his stomach. "Hey there. Come to join our hug fest?"

The baby squirmed around a bit, punching an area in front of her with her tiny fist.

Kimimaro chuckled, pressing his lips to Tayuya's lips. "I think that's a yes..."

Tayuya smiled and leaned into it.

His heart beat a bit faster as he pressed into the kiss and pet his child's shell. He felt... alive. He departed for a second, watching his love's eyes shine. "I love you..."

"...you already know my answer to that."

"I know, I just enjoy letting you know..."

"...love you too. And Miko."

"And Miko...of course..." He looked down at his shifting stomach. "I love you very much..." He told the unborn child.

"I'm sure she loves you, too."

Kimimaro's smile grew a little more. "Hopefully..."


	8. Orochimaru

Orochimaru had recently returned from a small expedition to the Leaf village. Of course, nothing interesting had been done, but now he was going to pay a visit on Kimimaro and the child he was carrying. He knocked on the door to his room; it was pitch-black, so naturally most people would be asleep.

"Come in...." Kimimaro replied to the knock, expecting Tayuya.

Orochimaru opened the door, slipping into the room. He didn't plan on harming Kimimaro in any way; no, he'd just toy with him a bit. "...hello, Kimimaro-kun.."

Kimimaro froze. "Hello Orochimaru-sama..."

Orochimaru had his usual cold look on, and noticing Kimimaro was standing, walked up to him, trapping him near the wall.

Kimimaro backed up until he was against the wall. "What do you want, Master?"

Orochimaru slid a hand underneath of Kimimaro's shirt, placing his freezing cold hand on the pale skin. "...you're lucky this brat was allowed to live.."

He took in a deep breath as he felt the icy hand. "Yes..." He agreed shakily. "A-and I thank you..."

"Don't. It would have been ripped out by Kabuto if it weren't yours and mine. Hopefully it has your kekkai genkai....."

"That would be good I suppose..."

He slid his hand up some more. "....you're lucky I haven't killed your little girlfriend by now...Kabuto convinced me not to...or otherwise the next kekkai genkai holder in this organization would be dead..."

Kimimaro's eyes widened. "Wh-why would you want her dead?"

"...she's distracting you. But nontheless. The child stays alive because it'll be working for me. And I'm not to be known as its father. It might think it can pull one over on me."

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed slightly. "I-I don't want her to work for you, Master..."

"...then it dies as soon as it's born. Think about it - your child in relative safety, or dead?"

Kimimaro bit his lip, thinking. "A-are you sure there is not anything you'd like more?"

"The only proposition I'm making is your child stays here and becomes powerful. Nothing more. It won't be subjected to experimentation, and I'm not taking it away from you. If you don't agree, then it dies."

Kimimaro sighed. "But she has to work for you?"

"Yes, it does."

Kimimaro closed his eyes. "I... I guess I have no choice. Fine, it works for you. But no experimenting, and she permanently stays in my care..." He repeated softly. "Fine..."

"That works, then." His voice was still his normal hiss, but it contained a satisfied air underneath. "We have it settled then." He backed away. "That is all I came for."

"You sure, Master?"

"I'm sure." He then left the room. A few hours passed, and the late hours of night set in. It was around midnight, and Miko was currently awake, squirming, punching, shifting and kicking inside of Kimimaro strongly. She'd decided to make up for her lack of movement earlier now.

Kimimaro chuckled, poking and rubbing his stomach, attempting to play with the attention-needing child.

Miko prodded his finger with a foot, then tumbled around again, making his entire stomach move.

Kimimaro chuckled, pressing his hand into his stomach lightly to feel the child's movment. "Silly girl..."

Miko kicked his hand, then moved her foot upwards to kick one of his ribs again.

The white haired boy tapped Miko. "Stop doing that." He chuckled. "You're going to break something..."

Miko pressed outwards with a hand, showing the outline of it towards the bottom of his stomach.

He chuckled, placing his hand upon the child's hand. "Hello... Your hands are very small, huh?..." His eyes became weary, trying to imagine his child being forced to work for Orochimaru. He pondered it more. "A life... born enslaved..." He bit his lip so hard it bled. Could he really allow that upon his only blood? His eyes carried tears in them. He could kill her himself, but it would hurt so much to do so now, and Tayuya... What would she think of him. He could allow the child to live and preform all of Orochimaru's wishes... He dug his nails into his skull. "Miko..."

The baby pressed upwards with her hand, so it laid flat, and pressed it against Kimimaro's hand.

His shoulders became weak as he went over this with himself... He would have to get a second opinion. He pushed himself up and wandered to Tayuya's door. "It's me."

Tayuya pushed herself up of bed, squinting. "...it's three in the morning.."

"O-oh yeah, sorry. I'll talk to you later then."

"No, what is it...come in.." She opened the door.

He hesitantly stepped inside. "Orochimaru had a talk with me..."

"...about what..?" Her voice became slightly crisper when he mentioned Orochimaru.

"... You know how he's letting Miko live, right?"

"....yes, I do. What about it?"

"... Well... If she lives she has to serve Orochimaru like you and me..."

"....well...it's better than her dying if you refused."

"I guess... I just hate how she'd be forced into that. We had a choice to come here... What if Miko doesn't want this life?"

"...I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to die. Nobody wants to die."

"Well no one likes a life of slavery either..."

"Point taken. It's not like Orochimaru'll let you leave."

Kimimaro nodded. "What if... We tried to get away?" He questioned. "What if we went out when he wasn't awake?"

"He'd track us. Doesn't matter. He's got Sakon and Ukon, and knowing them, they'd follow me and you. And kill us. They don't fuck around."

Kimimaro nodded. "I guess..."

It was awkward silence for a moment. Tayuya looked up at him. "...wanna sleep in here?"

Kimimaro nodded. "If that's okay..."

She nodded and scooted over some, leaving room for her.

He slipped in the bed. "Comfy," he commented awkwardly before closing his eyes. "Love you..."

"Love you too..." She moved closer to him, nuzzling his jawline and placing her hands on his stomach.

His lips curled, preferring her warm fingers to Orochimaru's cold hands.

She patted his stomach a bit, feeling Miko kick her hand.

Kimimaro chuckled. "Night, Miko. Night Tayuya."

"..night..." She mumbled, falling asleep.


	9. Sonogram

The next month had been both the most stressful and laziest for Kimimaro. He spent most days in Tayuya's room until she came back from meetings and missions. Today he waited in his own room, playing with the child growing in his stomach.

Kabuto knocked on the door slightly. "Kimimaro-kun, it's time for another appointment, if you don't mind.."

Kimimaro sighed, pushing himself up from his room and waddling out his door to meet with Kabuto.

Kabuto led him to the infirmary, handing him the gown and asking him to go change.

Kimimaro nodded, taking longer to change than he usually did. He came back out, holding his stomach and his back as he sat on the table.

Kabuto first wrapped a cuff around the teen's arm to measure his blood pressure. "...hmm...not too high, not too low...normal for this stage of the pregnancy."

Kimimaro nodded.

"..alright, step on the scale." He gestured to it, but secretly inside hoped Kimimaro wouldn't break it. He looked...huge, to be blunt.

Kimimaro slipped from the table and stepped on the scale as Kabuto told him.

Kabuto moved the small weights on the top around until they came to a standstill, and the scale balanced. "....143 lbs. You've gained...thirty-eight pounds so far, although you'll probably put on a few more in the next two weeks."

Kimimaro nodded, thinking how much Tayuya would approve when he stepped off.

After he laid back down, Kabuto started examining his abdomen. "The head's in the right place....there's an arm..." He moved upwards a bit more. "..while I'm doing this...do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"

"Umm... Is her foot okay? She's been kicking my ribs."

"Your ribs aren't hard enough to break her foot. Trust me. Her bones are very...rubbery, somewhat, right now. They're very hard to break."

Kimimaro nodded with a sigh of releif. "Good."

Kabuto stopped examining and turned to do an internal exam with a gloved hand. "....ten percent effaced...a good sign. You'll be going into labour by the first of January, at the latest."

Kimimaro's lips curled. "That is good... Is there anything I should be concerned about?"

"...when your water breaks, send Tayuya to get me right away. Thank God your hips are wide enough to fit a baby's head." There was silence for a moment. "...speaking of the birth, where do you plan to have this baby?"

"Umm... I didn't really think about it to be honest... I would prefer something private... Maybe my room?"

"Your room. Alright, then. Besides me, obviously, are you having anyone else in the room?"

"Tayuya."

"I figured." He smiled lightly, then turned to the ultrasound machine, grabbing the paddle and spreading the gel on his stomach.

The boy became stiff, for the gel was cool to the touch.

Kabuto ran the paddle over his stomach, showing Miko's form on the screen.

Kimimaro's eyes took interest to the child as he did before. "Wow..." he whispered. "She got bigger..."

He moved the paddle some more, showing him some more of the baby. She was sucking her thumb, looking quite content.

Kimimaro's smile showed some tooth when he watched her. He watched with amusement.

"Would you want me to print a picture out for you?"

"Sure." Kimimaro nodded. "That'd be nice..."

Kabuto printed out the picture and handed it to him, then wiped the gel off of his stomach. He smiled slightly. "You can go change now."

"Thanks." Kimimaro bowed his head, slipping off the table and took five minutes to change into his clothes before walking back to his room to wait for Tayuya.

Tayuya was in her own room, taking her hair down from the small ponytail she'd had it in.

Kimimaro knocked upon the door. "Can I come in?"

"...hm? Oh, yeah.."

Kimimaro walked in and pressed his lips to her's instantly, then handed her the pictures. "I went to an appointment."

Tayuya blinked and looked at the picture. "Is she sucking her thumb?"

"Yeah..." Kimimaro patted the child.

"That's so cute..." She smiled and looked at the pictures some more.

"Yeah and she's healthy too... aaand... I gained thirty-four pounds."

"You did?" She smiled slightly. "That's good."

"Yeaah... thought you would be pleased to hear that..."

"Yes, I am. It's good to know you're not underweight anymore, huh?"

"Yeah..." Kimimaro chuckled, kissing her. "He said she'd be born on the thirtyith at the latest..."

"That's good. That's...that's two and a half weeks from now. Kinda soon, but I guess you want her out, huh?"

Kimimaro nodded. "I'd like to see her pretty face..."

"Her cute little face...and she'll be in those cute little clothes.."

"Yep." He sighed. "Can't wait..."

Tayuya shook her head. "Neither can I. The suspense is killing me."

He nodded in response. "Neither can I..."


	10. Bone Melodies

Tayuya had bounced out of bed a few hours earlier, poorly wrapping her gifts for Kimimaro. It was almost ten AM; she walked over to his side of the bed and nudged the sleeping teen. "Come on, you big lump. Get up."

The boy grunted in response. "Tired..."

"Get up. I got you presents. And I had to wrap them. So we're gonna open them now." She looked at the gifts behind her. Kimimaro's gifts to her were neatly and perfectly wrapped, while hers were patched and sloppy.

He rolled over to look at her. "Heh... forgot what today was..." He dragged himself out of the bed and sat himself in a chair near the presents. "Why don;t you open yours first?"

"No." She pushed her three gifts towards him. "Open yours."

"U-um... Okay." He chuckled, taking the smallest package and tearing the paper.

Tayuya smiled slightly as he opened the package. "...um..it's a turtleneck. It's lame I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

The boy unfolded the shirt with a smile. "This will be warm." He pecked the girl's cheek. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You're welcome.." She handed him the second box, which was slightly larger.

He shook it a little before ripping the wrapping paper off.

This box had a pink teddy bear in it. She blushed. "For Miko."

He chuckled. "She'll love it..."

She smirked and handed him the third and final box. It was small, and when he opened it, it contained sheet music. "...I wrote it for you."

"Can you play it?" He asked.

"....when I'm done with my gifts, 'kay..?" She picked up the first of his gifts.

"It's an ocarina..." It was made of pottery with six holes. "Thought you might like that..."

She smiled and ran her hands over it. "...thanks..." She smiled and set it down gently in her lap, then opened the second one.

Kimimaro laid his eyes upon the book of melodies. "Thought maybe you'd like to play a few for Miko..."

"Oh...thank you..." She smiled and traced a finger alongside the cover of the book. When she opened the third gift, she inhaled slightly. It was a snow-white flute, almost identical to her favorite one, except for the color. "...." She tilted her head, and ran a finger over the holes. It was smooth, but had a bit of a rough edge to it- she cut her thoughts off.

"You like it?"

She nodded slightly, running her fingers over it. "...is it made out of bone..?"

"Yeah..." Kimimaro nodded.

Tayuya ran her fingers over it some more and hugged him around the legs and the lower part of his belly.

Kimimaro chuckled, petting her head. "I'm glad you like it..."

Tayuya smiled. "I love it..." She buried her face in his stomach. "I love it so much..."

"Glad you like it." Kimimaro whispered, pecking her head.

Tayuya smiled and looked up at him. "You want me to play now...?"

"Of course..."

She picked up the bone flute, and after making sure she wouldn't cut herself on it, flipped through the book and found a short, sweet melody to play. She cleared her throat, brought the flute to her lips, and started to play. The melody was amazing, and it flowed even more smoothly than a wooden flute.

Kimimaro closed his eyes, stroking his stomach as the musical notes played in his ear. It was very comforting and relaxing on the holiday.

Tayuya finished after a few minutes, and stroked the flute. "..this works really well.."

"You play it very very beautifully." Kimimaro countered with a smile. "You're an artist..."

"...thank you..." She trailed off. "..you're the first one that's called me that."

"Really? I'm surprised." Kimimaro commented. "You're the most artistic person I know."

"Yeah." She smiled and looked down at the flute. "Thanks."

"No need, you deserve it." He mumbled, pecking her cheek.

Tayuya smiled and touched her cheek softly with her hand.


	11. December

Tayuya hadn't seen Kimimaro in a bit. She couldn't help but be concerned - he could be asleep, she rationalized, because it was 6 PM and he was always tired - but it could be for a number of reasons why she hadn't seen him. Shrugging it off, she wandered into her room.

Kimimaro took in a deep breath as another contraction hit him. The pain felt like it could kill him. Of course he had broken his water previously, but he had mistaken it for a urine accident which was apparently common for people that were pregnant. But this was no accident he decided as he felt the shocks stab his lower body. He whimpered in pain, tears streaming down his eyes. He felt he'd be crazy if he got up. Last thing he needed was to collapse on the ground. He's been in this state for an hour or two, but he never made a loud enough noise for anyone to hear him. He clung to his mattress. He suddenly remembered Kabuto's instructions, but again... getting up would be mad. "T-Tayuya..." He whiimpered.

Tayuya's sharp ears (common for somebody that played any sort of musical instrument) picked her name up rather quickly. Her head perked up and she opened the door to Kimimaro's room, not bothering to knock.

"H-hey." Kimimaro greeted, trying to smile and stay calm. "Can you g-get K-Kabuto for m-me?"'

Tayuya looked at him. "....alright..." She went out of the room warily, and then dashed off to the infirmary, grabbing Kabuto by the arm and rushing off. Kabuto blinked and had a confused look on his face, then realized what was happening as soon as they came into the room. Kabuto turned into medical mode and looked at him. "Alright, the contractions, how far apart are they?"

"A few minutes." Kimimaro replied.

"...okay, six minutes, then...I'm judging.." He rushed off to get his medical kit, then came back into the room. "Take your pants off." Tayuya bit her lip and looked at him. "...you're having the baby?"

Kimimaro nodded. "Y-yeah." He reached down and slipped off his pants as quickly as he could. As soon as his pants were removed he snapped back on his back, clutching the mattress. "RrrrraaaAH!" He gasped, eyes tightened until the shock was over.

Tayuya bit her lip and kneeled down next to him, remaining quiet. When the contraction was over, Kabuto gloved his hand and conducted a small exam. "...seven centimeters...okay, you're on your way. Definetly, definetly on your way to having a baby."

Kimimaro bit his lip, taking a look at Tayuya and then back at Kabuto. "About how much longer until she actually comes out?"

Kabuto sighed. "I give you two or three hours until you can start pushing."

Kimimaro nodded, tapping his fingers nervously onto the matress. "Alright..."

Tayuya looked at him. "...do you want to hold my hand..?"

"No... It's fine... wait- Where's Orochimaru?" He asked quickly. Only more pressure would be added if that man got involved.

Kabuto answered for him. "On an important mission. He won't be back for several days."

Kimimaro rested his head with a sigh of relief. "Thank God..."

Tayuya pet his head, trying to comfort him slightly.

The teenager looked up to her. "How are you by the way?"

"..fine, but we're not focused on me. We're focused on you."

Kimimaro sighed. "I'm fine, just the contractions are abit tough to handle... Other than that I'm fine."

Tayuya gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.


	12. Shrine Maiden

Kimimaro was at the verge of tossing himself out a window as the our went by. He bit his lip whimpering as he was shocked every few minutes, barely giving him enough time to restore before the next hormonal attack took action. "A-ARG!"

Kabuto was sitting in a chair near the edge of the room, every now and then getting up to check on Kimimaro. Tayuya sat behind him, supporting the teen's back as Kabuto had told her.

He gasped for air when the contraction ended. He felt sticky from the sweat. "D-Damn that h-hurt." He brought one of his shoulders to his cheek.

Tayuya rubbed his back slightly. "I could tell...I could tell.." Kabuto got up to check on him, then smiled. "..alright, Kimimaro-kun...next contraction, push."

"H-huh? Already?" He questioned. "I thought you said two hours..."

"You're going fast. Be grateful."

Kimimaro nodded. "Alright." The next pain struck him and he bit his lip, putting force upon his lower body, crying when the pain got worse. "D-Damn." He swore, gripping onto the mattress tighter and tighter, finally taking a break after he ran out of energy.

Kabuto nodded. "..good...nothing's out yet, but the head's moving down.."

Kimimaro nodded, taking a deep breath before pushing again. "A-AH!" He could now feel the child at the edge of his lower body. He pushed harder and harder, finally resting a bit more.

"...okay, okay, you're a step away from crowning....good job..." Tayuya was still sitting behind him, supporting him.

Kimimaro didn't even waste as much time as he did before before he started pushing again. This time he put all of his strength into it all at once and kept the pressure going for a straight moment before, taking another small break. He could feel the sweat drip. "H-how much more?"

"...head's crowning. Maybe five more pushes, and the head should be out." It took that much, and the head eventually slipped out. "Okay, the head's out...keep going, come on.."

The boy rolled his eyes. How the hell could it be taking so long? He tried forcing more pressure upon the child, but not much more. His body simply wouldn't allow it. He pushed and pushed, breaking his record and pushing for a minute and forty-five seconds.

Kabuto brightened up some. "Okay, the shoulders are out.....one more push and she'll be here."

Kimimaro nodded, preparing himself this time, then pushing once again, applying as much pressure as his body could muster until he felt the body slip out. He rolled his eyes back and closed them, taking deep breath, wanting nothing more than sleep at the moment.

Tayuya took in a sharp breath, looking at the tiny baby. Her mind was totally blank. Kabuto whisked the infant up and cleaned her off, then after cleaning Kimimaro up and settling him under the blankets, handed the baby to him.

Kimimaro gazed upon his child with adoring eyes. "W-wow..." He starred at the child for a long while before speaking. "H-hey Miko..." He whispered, petting the black hair. "You... You're so adorable..."

Tayuya blinked and looked down at her, taking in a sharp inhale. "...this...this came out of you...?"

Kimimaro nodded slowly. "Yeah..." He pressed his lips to the child's forehead before handing it to Tayuya. "Would you like to say hello to your daughter?"

Tayuya looked down at the tiny baby. "...hey...hey, Miko....you're...you're really cute...." She rubbed her finger across the infant's cheek. "....wow..."

The boy watched his girlfriend and his child together. It was one of the most beautiful sights he ever saw in his life. "My two favorite girls..." He whispered.

".....hey....hey, Miko.." Her voice wavered and she teared up, bringing the child closer to her and starting to cry. "...h-hey.."

Kimimaro chuckled, brushing the tears from the girl's cheek. "Did you think she'd make it this far?"

"....no, I didn't...." She smiled and looked down at the little girl she held.

"Neither did I..." Kimimaro mumbled. Before he passed out he kissed Tayuya and whispered," Thank you, angel..."


End file.
